OTAGO HARBOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18612, 21 July 1922, Page 2

OTAGO HARBOUR

ITS SHIP-REPAIRING RECORD., PRE-DOOK DAYS AT PORT CHALMERS. | (No<- 1.) Port Chalmers has made a world-wide ■ name for Otago Harbour in ship repairing. Some of the biggest ship-repairing jobs in Australasia have been carried out at Port Chalmers. One of the significant aspects of it is that no permanent repairing work done at Port Chalmers has had to bo done over' again when repaired oversea steamers returned to the big shipping seaports of Europe. A reputation, of this kind is worth while, and this is the reputation that Port Chalmers has made for Otago Harbour throughout the shipping world. Ship repairing was commenced at Port Chalmers in the very early days of colonisation. In fact, it seems that ships were careened there for repairs before colonisation, as represented by immigrant ships, was anything more, definite than a mere probability. The order of development of the ship-repairing industry started with the careening of ships. This was followed by slipways for hauling vessels out of the water for repairs. Then a wooden floating dock was built, and in due course graving docks surrounded, ■so to speak, by up-to-date machine shops and other plant, took definite and practical form. Ship repairing, like most other things, has evolved from the crude to the complex. Port Chtilmers has been the scene of such an evolution—with unsurpassed efficiency the unfailing keynote at every stage of unfoldment. On July 17, 1866, the ship Parisian, 717 tons (Captain Dowling), left San Francisco, bound for Otago, loaded with limber. Shortly after leaving port she sprung a leak, and as the leakage increased in spite of incessant pumping Captain Dowling decided to bear up for Oahecti to repair damages, arriving there on the morning of the 23rd of August. Temporary repairs’* were effected by too native divers, Who were vorv expert at under-water work, and the voyage to Port Chalmers was resumed on August 29. The good ship Parisian passed in at Taiaroa Heads on September 4, 1666. After tho cargo was discharged the vessel was surveyed, and condemned as being unseaworthy. She was sold by auction, being bought by a Port Chalmers syndicate, of which Messrs Thomson Bros, were tho principal members. The new owners decided to repair the vessel, and the work-was entrusted ,to the late Mr Wm. Isbister, whose name is associated with' early-day ship repairing at Port Chalmers. There being no dock or other moans of taking the vessel out of the water then in’ existence, Mr Isbister. who had (previously torn down several vessels successfully and repaired them in Hobson’s Bay before coming to Port Chalmers, decided to again uso that method. A Dutch galliot of about 150 tons was, therefore, veil ballasted, and slings for attaching the tackles passed beneath her bottom. After the ship’s spars and top hamper had been sent down on deck and the lower masts were well secured by extra rigging, tackle? were led from each masthead and secured to the chains round the galliot. When all was ready a strain was taken on winches (placed on her docks), and the ship was gradually careened till her keel was put of tho water. When the necessary repairs were effected the tackles were then eased away and, the vessel righted herself. During the careening operations, a serious accident was only averted by a fortunate circumstance. It, was in its way unique. The rope fall of one of the masthead tackles was not thought by one of the men to be sufficiently strong for the work to be done. He pointed this out. However, he was toldto “heave away,” and the work proceeded. As tho vessel started to list a great strain was put on the tackles. The tackle in respect to which a doubt had been expressed proved .to be unequal to ,the strain. The hauling part of the fall carried away at the winch. As the end of the rope flow from the winch a kink in it “ choked the luff,” thus preventing the tackle from unreving, and throwing all the strain on the other tackles. Such sudden strain would probably have caused the other masthead tackles to carry away, with disastrous effects to the workmen employed on the job. Tho choking of tho luff jjaved the situation. ’*■ * After the Parisian was refitted for sea she was despatched to Puget Sound for a load of timber, under the command of Captain John Ross, well known in Port Chalmers. One of the crow of the Parisian, and who also assisted in the work of heaving her down at Boiler Point, Mr Wm. R-ou.se, is still hale and'hearty at the age of 79 years, and resides at Sawyers’ Bay.V The Galliot was itself a quaint ornft, and had a rather interesting history! Originally built in Holland and named Reenau Engelkins (Queen of England), she was purchased by Mr Robert Black, shipowner and merchant, of Newburgh, Aberdeenshire.. Mr Black decided to emigrate to Australia, and early in 1857 set sail in the Galliot, which was about 150 tons. Included in the ship’s company were- several tradesmen, who helped to work the vessel in return for their'passage to Port Phillip. After an adventurous voyage of 21 weeks, the Galliot with her eempuiv of--25 all told, arrived safely at her destination. In 1860 she was purchased bv the Into Mr David Curie, who sailed her from Port Melbourne fo Port Chalmers with ih'o small steamer (afterwards on Lake Wakatipu) on her deck. She reached Port, Chalmers safely, and fbr many years afterwards was lightering between Port Chalmers and Dunedin, Captain Shaw houe-ht tho Galliot and used her for carving ballast, to the ships in harbour. Tho ballast stone was obtained from Observation Point, where the harbour hoard office now overlooks the shinpine at Port Chalmers. After much useful service she broke adrift, in a south-west gale and, grounding on the sandbanks, became waterlogged. After repairing her was not considered worth while she was benched alongside the patent slip at Carey Bay; where she decayed and gradually, disappeared from view.